Home > News and articles

News & articles

Death of the High Street?

Knight Frank discusses the evolution of the high street, retailers positioned to become the social glue for locals and the rise of pedestrianisation on pg. 22

10 Best Books about London

Londoners are voracious readers, according to a new survey of the capital - and with good reason. Not only is the capital the world’s most written-about city, with 286 million mentions, compared to 95 million for second-placed Paris, it’s also home to a mind-boggling list of literary heavyweights

businesscloud.co.uk

Why the next wave of urban innovation starts with the street outside the shop

Technology reshaped the consumer economy and observational evidence from London increasingly shows people are becoming more intentional, selective and sensitive to the quality of the environment around them. Read more from Knight Frank's Esther Dowd.

From Sicilian Avenue to the catwalk: Mediterranean style and London Fashion Week

Every London Fashion Week brings new overlaps between London and Italian and Sicilian looks. This year sees Alessandra Rich on the official designer roster, an London-based designer who has become synonymous with Italian glamour and 'dolce vita' party wear.

London Fashion Week: 5 Everyday British Styles with Indian Heritage

London Fashion Week has become a showcase not just for the capital's top designers, but for the Indian influences on British fashion.

365retail.co.uk

365 Retail Coverage

New insights conducted by Sicilian Avenue, London, highlight a decisive shift in consumer behaviour trends: shoppers are becoming more selective about where they spend both their time and their money.

5 Unexpected Benefits Pedestrianisation Could Bring to London

Today, London is on the cusp of far-reaching changes around pedestrianisation in the capital’s centre, with the reopening of the iconic century-old pedestrianised diagonal Sicilian Avenue heralding wider changes.

Why Pedestrian Streets and Culinary Creativity Go Hand-in-Hand

Open air and travel on foot have always been associated with culinary big ideas. London is no stranger to this, with various culinary oddities offered.

London's Dining 'Generation Gap'

London’s pedestrianised streets offer all things to all people - and there are telling gaps between the generations when it comes to what they enjoy.

Ten things you need to know as Bayeux Tapestry comes to The British Museum in London

British people queued for up to nine hours to see a historical artefact which has survived almost a thousand years - the Bayeux Tapestry.

A Photographic Journey Through 116 Years of Sicilian Avenue

Sicilian Avenue might seem simply like a diagonal connecting London’s Bloomsbury to the north to Holborn in the east, but the street is a slice of London’s history and culture.

How Londoners' Drinking and Dining Choices Have Changed Since 2019

A survey of diners conducted by Sicilian Avenue found that there has been a profound shift in the sorts of experiences that London visitors tend to seek out - with a significant shift towards more premium, upmarket food and drink experiences.

costar.com

Why calm, pedestrian-first streets are emerging as resilient property assets

Retail expert Esther Dowd talks with CoStar about the quiet high street revolution: places that feel good to be in will attract more retailers as people tend to dwell there longer.

Beyond Beauty: How This London Street Quietly Hacks Your Brain

It might have been dreamt up in Edwardian times, but Sicilian Avenue is surprisingly up-to-date when it comes to our understanding of psychology.

estategazette.co.uk

Saving the High Streets Starts with Ditching the Cars

Sophie Levenson shares why third spaces are integral to high street design and success. Read more in her article with Estates Gazette.

Sicilian Avenue Marks A New Chapter In London’s Urban Planning

Could a Sicilian-inspired arch, complete with gilded lettering and classically inspired columns on a diagonal street in Bloomsbury be a vision of the future of London?

How Health and Generating Wealth Go Hand-in-Hand in Sicilian Avenue

London’s businesses report that the drive towards pedestrianisation is helping to revive Britain’s urban economies, too, with pedestrians spending more and lingering longer.

Five London Firsts That Will Amaze You

London is packed with firsts, from the world’s first underground railway, which opened between today’s Paddington and Farringdon Street in 1863, to the world’s first traffic island, unveiled in 1845.

5 Ways Sicilian Avenue Proves Walkable Cities Are Good For People, Profits And The Planet

Imagine a relaxing European city break. Do you see roads lined with cars, or quiet cobbled streets lined with cafes?

Is Sicilian Avenue London’s Most Cinematic Street?

There’s one London street which directors turn to again and again when they want to conjure up a slightly eccentric and very English kind of old-school charm.

How Pedestrianised Streets Like Sicilian Avenue Boost Business Performance

Statistics prove how pedestrianised streets boost business performance: in New York, pedestrian improvements at one junction boosted local retail sales by 48%, according to Living Streets’ latest annual ‘Pedestrian Pound’ report.

Digital Natives, Physical Shoppers: Gen Z’s Unexpected Return to London's Stores

The reimagined Sicilian Avenue offers a new generation of offline consumers the perfect excuse to indulge a craving.

moneyweek.com

Reinventing the High Street – How to Invest in the Retailers Driving the Change

Sophie Levenson shares her vision on why high streets are reinventing themselves, and the opportunities for retailers. Read more here.

pedestrianisation-oxford-street-shopping-tourists

Pedestrianisation Can Liberate Oxford Street and Make It Truly World Class

Jonathan Eastwood shares insights on why The London Mayor's pedestrianistion plan is a powerful opportunity for Oxford Street.

Boosting Health, Driving Sales - The Benefits of Walking

Visions of the ‘city of the future’ revolved around the then-new motor car - but as we speed past the first quarter of the 21st century, it’s clear that the city of the future will be filled with people walking.

6 Holborn Gems That Locals Don't Want You to Know About

Sicilian Avenue is one whimsical string in Holborn’s bow. But what are some of our other favourite things to see in this underestimated district?

Sicilian Avenue: Building the Social Heart of Bloomsbury

Watch the short documentary of Sicilian Avenue's return to revitalise a once vanished 19th century pedestrian London.

Are Pedestrianised Streets Like Sicilian Avenue The Future of Retail in London?

The far-sighted visions of the architects of the 19th century era look set to be a vision of 21st century London’s future. For shoppers and retailers alike, the coming pedestrian era looks set to change the way Londoners buy.

MATCHADO Opens on Sicilian Avenue with its Seasonal Spring Menu

Sicilian Avenue continues to come alive. Visitors can now enjoy the tranquil spirit of Japan at the iconic, 115 year old pedestrianised street in the heart of historic Bloomsbury, just moments away from Holborn Station.

Lights, Camden, Action: The Untold Story of London's Movie-Star Streets

Whether it’s a period piece or superhero spectacular, Sicilian Avenue is ready for its close-up.

6 Big Reasons Why Brits Really Visit London (Food Tops the List!)

New survey sheds light on the reasons people come to the UK capital.

benews.co.uk

Retail Isn’t Dying, It’s Detoxing and Heritage Developments Show Us What’s Next

Retail expert Sophie Levenson discusses why heritage sites like Sicilian Avenue offer retailers a chance to reconnect with consumers on a personal level.

Sustainable Renaissance: Inside London's Most Innovative Street Transformation

Heritage meets sustainability in the reimagining of Sicilian Avenue.

The Surprising History of Bloomsbury And How It’s Rising Again

If Oxford Street is the heart of London, then Bloomsbury, with its long literary history, is the city’s brain.

Is Sicilian Avenue in London Linked to Sicily?

London’s Sicilian Avenue stands out uniquely among Bloomsbury streets, but what is its link to Sicily?

Are Restaurants the New Hotdesking Space for Business Leaders?

New technology, a pandemic, and evolving notions of hotdesking.

Sicilian Avenue Reopens With Three Retail and Café Lets

Sicilian Avenue is reopening for business after a refurbishment which has carefully preserved the century-old character of the Sicilian-inspired Grade II listed street.

Why Pedestrianisation Can Spark a High-Quality Dining Boom

Research shows that glamorous, pedestrianised streets walk hand in hand with increased spending and luxurious choices.

Slow Horses London Locations - and Why One Is A True London Icon

Few TV series use locations as cleverly as Apple TV’s iconic and long-running spy drama Slow Horses, and one of these locations is Sicilian Avenue.

The Surprisingly Long History of Pedestrianised Streets in London

In the early 20th century, Britain’s streets were changing and in 1903 it had just passed the Motor Car Act, which raised the urban speed limit from 14mph to 20mph, and introduced new ideas such as driving licenses.

cityam.com

Oxford Street Shoppers Vote With Their Feet

Jonathan Eastwood, Head of Retail Agency at Knight Frank penned a Letter to the Editor at City AM. Here's what he had to say.

4 Dark Secrets Beneath London's Streets: Sicilian Avenue Invites You to Explore Lost Worlds

For lovers of history, mystery and intrigue, there’s much more to London than lies on the surface.

London Eats The World: How the Capital Became Europe's Unexpected Food Paradise

As the UK’s culinary capital, London must constantly reinvent itself. Sicilian Avenue is the latest installment in that edible Odyssey.

startupsmagazine.co.uk

Why Restaurants and Cafes are the New Boardrooms

Sophie Levenson penned her thoughts on the evolving workspaces shaping London, known as the 'third space.' Read all about why the quietly iconic Sicilian Avenue is being reimagined for exactly this lifestyle shift.

Holborn Reborn: How Sicilian Avenue Is Reviving London's Forgotten District

“Holborn, in fact, suffers from being neither one thing nor the other.”

From TikTok to Table: How Gen Z Is Reshaping London's Restaurant Scene

Research suggests that the younger generation’s dining preferences differ markedly from their older counterparts.

Beyond Cars and Cafes: Sicilian Avenue's Revival Signals Permanent Shift in London's Urban Planning

The historic pedestrianised street re-emerges as a model for sustainable city development.

lbc.co.uk

Pedestrianised streets are good for business – so why doesn’t London have more?

Knight Frank Partner Sophie Levenson recently wrote about the business economics of pedestrianised streets for LBC News, and why London visitors call for higher quality experiences. Here's what she had to say.

Walking = Wealth: The Smart Economics Behind London's Most Successful Streets

“The streets of London have their map, but our passions are uncharted. What are you going to meet if you turn this corner?”

140 Languages, 1 Borough: The Untold Story of Camden's Cultural Revolution

This most vibrant London borough offers a whole world of culture, history and vision.

From Sicilian Avenue to Oxford Street: London's 115-Year Journey to Car-Free Living

As London prepares for its most ambitious pedestrianisation project yet – the £150 million transformation of Oxford Street – few realise that the capital's experiment with car-free shopping began over a century ago.

London Al Fresco: Why This Historic Street is Set to Become the Capital's Must-Visit Food Haven

Sicilian Avenue is reintroducing itself as the capital’s hottest and above all tastiest culinary destination – and we’re hungry to try it!

businessage.com

The Rise of the Café Commute

Top business publication, Business Age, recently asked us what makes Sicilian Avenue the perfect destination for business owners and office workers in the area. The conversation was held over a working lunch...here's what we had to say.